TEXTS AND SEARCH HISTORY SHOW HOW CHRIS WATTS' GIRLFRIEND KNEW OF HIS PLANS TO MURDER HIS FAMILY

Back in 2018, Chris Watts' chilling confession about how he choked his pregnant wife to death and killed his two daughters over a 3-month-long affair shook the world. Years later, cellphone data collected from the murderer and his mistress' phones reveals how she was aware of his intentions. The DailyMail requested the information by filing a Freedom of Information Act, and used data to shed light on the relationship between Watts and his girlfriend Nichol Kessinger. The details unearthed now contradict Kessinger's claims that she was unaware of Watts' plans.

Watts killed his wife Shannan and two daughters to pursue a relationship with Kessinger. The case captivated the nation, as the probe revealed how Watts was a murderer and not a desperate husband. The access police got to his messages and internet searches played a pivotal role, in revealing his true identity.

In the initial days of their affair, Kessinger seems to have been aware of Watts' marital situation as she searched things like "Man I'm having affair with says he will leave his wife" on the internet during this time. Meanwhile, Watts' wife Shannan wanted to make things work for the sake of her family. She finally accused him of being distant and not making efforts, while he was searching things related to proposing to his girlfriend on the internet.

On July 28, Watts and Kessinger took a trip to the Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve, during which Watts began looking up terms like "love letters" and lyrics to love songs on the internet. Next day, Watts flew back to spend time with his family in North Carolina, while Kessinger felt so secure that she was searching for wedding dresses during this break. After returning from the vacation Shanann was picking up on her husband's antics and confided in her friends. Even as Watts was planning to marry Kessinger, Shanann still wanted to rebuild things and invested her energy in buying self-help relationship books and booking couple counselors.

Watts was already planning for a future without Shanann searching for things like the price of an Audi Q7 despite their family being in debt. It was clear he did not want his family in the picture, but nobody could have expected such a drastic step. Daily Mail reported that on August 13, he strangled his pregnant wife and murdered his two daughters 4-year-old Bella and 3-year-old Celeste. Initially, he claimed that Shanann murdered the daughters, and then he strangled her in anger but later confessed. The bodies were found disposed of in an oil site where Watts worked, and he was awarded three life sentences with no possibility of parole.

Police also found incriminating searches in Kessinger's phone as she also searched things like, “Did people hate Amber Frey?” as per PEOPLE. For further context, Amber Frey is known for being the mistress of Scott Peterson who killed his wife and children. She even went on to look up Frey's net worth, present life and other details, before continuing her life under a different identity.